


Cornerstone

by ailurish



Category: Super Junior
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-03
Updated: 2014-04-03
Packaged: 2018-01-18 00:19:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1408012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ailurish/pseuds/ailurish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After EHB's prank on Eunhyuk and Ryeowook, Super Junior return to the hostel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cornerstone

**Author's Note:**

  * For [savetomorrow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/savetomorrow/gifts).



It's late when they return to the hostel, all twelve of them filing inside in near silence. Only Kangin and Heechul seem unaffected, but even their jokes seem forced.

In spite of the way his bones are longing for bed, Eunhyuk is relieved when Leeteuk quietly suggests that they all meet in the kitchen. The table gets shoved out of the way and chairs scrape across the floor, an impromptu circle that they all squeeze into: Ryeowook on Eunhyuk's left and Donghae on his right, just as it had been before.

There was nothing for them to be upset about, really. The joke had probably gone a little too far; they'd expected one or both of Eunhyuk and Ryeowook to cry at the prospect of Shindong leaving the group, but behind every lie is the truth and none of them expected it to go as far as it did.

Leeteuk acts as moderator. He hadn't taken any part in the ruse at the restaurant but it was obvious that he'd taken careful note of everything that was said, every emotion, and he goes through them all one by one.

Everything is okay between him and Shindong, that much Eunhyuk is sure of. Back at the restaurant he had folded him into an inescapable hug and said, "You're my brother too, Hyukjae, and I know you don't act out of pity."

In the end, it comes down to Kyuhyun apologizing for ruining the joke and everyone else jumping to his defense.  
"I shouldn't have used the accident as emotional manipulation," he says, shaking off their protests, and then, much quieter, "but what I said was true. I can't recover without all of you."

After that, EHB wouldn't have had any trouble collecting tears. Kangin doesn't even try to hide his; Heechul does, but fails. The circle falls apart when Sungmin gives up trying to reassure Kyuhyun from his seat and goes to wrap his arms around Kyu's shoulders, whispering something fiercely and too quietly for anyone to hear; Kyu just nods along, blinking rapidly.

When the noise level in the kitchen finally reaches the normal levels of a Super Junior gathering, everyone scatters to find midnight snacks and burn off the rest of the emotion, sharing jokes and food and otherwise reassuring everyone that it's going to be okay, it's going to be fine, they're all still here and they're not going anywhere.

Still, Eunhyuk feels worn out in a way not even a long filming schedule does, nor the loss of adrenaline after a concert, and not quite like the stretched, worn out feeling of his muscles after a day in practice. He hasn't felt anything like this since the before their debut, wide awake in bed and wondering how long something this good is going to last. Unaware, then, that he wants it to last forever.

He;s standing in the middle of the abandoned circle of chairs, ostensibly watching Siwon's hand gestures as he talks to Hangeng and trying to figure out what he's saying, when he feels the familiar weight of Donghae's hand settle against his lower back.

Later he'll pinpoint this moment as one that changes everything, but for now he can't see it. He just knows that the hand on his back does more than just remind him of Donghae's familiar, comfortable presence; it _grounds_ him. The sick, weightlessness of worry and leftover grief takes a backburner to everything else; the noise in the room stretches out from cacophony into a comfortable hum, and he can feel the heat of every fingertip: one, two, three, four, five; Donghae leans forward and says, "Yah, Hyukjae."

Eunhyuk turns without thinking about it and Donghae's arms come around to hug him. He lets his forehead tip onto Donghae's shoulder and returns the hug, fists twisted into the fabric of the back of Donghae's shirt.

"You don't have to worry," Donghae says. "We're not going anywhere, yeah? Nothing to be worried about, Eunhyukkie. And hey, even if the group falls apart, you're gonna be okay. Know why?" He pulls back a little here, just enough to catch Eunhyuk's eye; Eunhyuk shakes his head: why?

"Because you'll still have me." There's the threat of a smile on the corner of his mouth when he says it. He pauses again, eyes searching Eunhyuk's face. Eunhyuk is not crying again, he isn't, but then he feels himself start to smile back and has to hide his face in his hand, surreptitiously wiping at his eyes. "Even if it's just us, okay? It'll be Donghae and Eunhyuk, got it? We'll be all right."

Eunhyuk takes in a slow breath, letting it steady his smile and bringing up a hand to clap gratefully at the side of Donghae's neck. He leaves it there.

And then Donghae's showing his full smile and Eunhyuk is laughing at him wetly; Siwon takes this moment to tackle them from behind and they stagger backwards into Kyuhyun. Before he knows it he's the center of a pile of Super Junior, too many of them to call it a hug, Leeteuk's laugh rising over everyone else's. Someone grabs at his arm and Eunhyuk looks across the tangle of bodies to see Ryeowook smiling at him knowingly. He smiles back.

-

The next morning is the first time that Donghae crawls into Eunhyuk's bed when he's meant to be waking him up. He should protest, but he doesn't. He just turns over to face him, Donghae's face carefully slack, the slow movement of his chest too exaggerated to be real sleep.

Eunhyuk pretends, too. If neither of them is awake enough to remember when he burrows close enough to press his mouth just barely against Donghae's collarbone, then well. It had been a long day.


End file.
